1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to video and/or audio conferencing over a digital network. More particularly, the invention provides a way to set up a video and/or audio conference automatically by leveraging machine-readable features or content from a previously established dial up telephone call.
2. Description of the Related Art
The increasing ubiquity of digital network access has led to a corresponding increase in the number of digital communications applications available to the consumer. The capabilities offered by voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) systems, video teleconferencing software, and other distance collaboration tools far exceed those available over traditional voice phone lines. Nonetheless, many users still find such applications inconvenient to use. User frustration stems from the relative complexity of installation and configuration, poor reliability, variable connection quality, incompatibility among competing systems, and the increased effort required to establish connections during subsequent use.
For instance, with a video conference call under today's technology, the participants must operate their computers to obtain an IP address, note this IP address, and then send the IP address to the other participants by email, chat, or phone. Each participant must also wait to receive the others' IP addresses by email or chat or phone, make a note of them, and enter the received IP addresses in their own video conferencing software. Finally, with all data entered, the participants wait for their video conferencing software packages to interconnect. For many users, this is a time-consuming, frustrating process, fraught with technical minutiae.
While many applications do simplify the connection process by saving the settings for frequently established connections as “sessions,” none have matched the convenience, universality, and reliability offered by Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS).